Headlines from around the world in sports

LONDON – Matt Cassel will start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in place of injured Christian Ponder against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley Stadium tomorrow.

The Vikings said yesterday that Cassel will replace Ponder, who sustained a rib injury last week in a 31-27 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Ponder practiced this week and said he hoped to play.

The Vikings and Steelers are both 0-3.

NFL

Cowboys’ Austin out with hamstring injury

IRVING, Texas – Dallas Cowboys receiver Miles Austin was ruled out of tomorrow’s game at San Diego because of a hamstring injury.

Austin has been slowed by hamstring issues the past two years after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2009 and 2010.

The 29-year-old Austin had just 579 yards in 10 games two years ago and played though hamstring problems last year to finish with 943 yards. He matched a career high with 10 catches in the opener this year against the Giants and has 15 catches for 125 yards.

NFL

Chargers’ Te’o set for regular-season debut

SAN DIEGO – Manti Te’o is poised to make his regular-season debut when the Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow.

Te’o, who has been out with an injured right foot since Aug. 8, has been working with the starters this week and he’s hoping to help a defense that is ranked dead last against the pass and No. 31 overall.

Coach Mike McCoy said Te’o has looked good in practice and he expects the linebacker to do fine tomorrow.

NFL

Giants’ Snee, Baas, Webster all out tomorrow

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants will be without starting left guard Chris Snee and center David Baas for tomorrow’s game against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

Coach Tom Coughlin ruled out Snee, a four-time Pro Bowler, and Baas for the game along with cornerback Corey Webster.

Snee has a hip problem, though not the same one he had surgically repaired in the offseason. Baas, who missed the season opener with a knee injury, has a neck problem.

NFL

Colts will be without 3 starters against Jags

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts will be missing three injured starters this weekend.

Bradshaw missed practice all week with a neck injury, and his absence means newly acquired Trent Richardson will inherit a heavier workload.

Landry is still recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out of last week’s game at San Francisco, and Jean Francois has not been back to work since leaving Sunday’s game with a groin injury.

NFL

QB Pryor making progress from concussion

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor took another step in his recovery from a concussion and faces one final test before getting clearance to play tomorrow.

Pryor was approved for full contact in practice and took increased reps while splitting time with Matt Flynn yesterday. Coach Dennis Allen said Pryor is making “a lot of progress” and did not rule out the possibility that he could start in Oakland’s home game against Washington this week.

According to Allen, Pryor passed all the concussion protocol tests required by the NFL but the coach added that the team wants him to take one additional test today.

BASEBALL

Wedge tells Mariners he won’t return

SEATTLE – Seattle Manager Eric Wedge told the Mariners he will not return for next season. The Mariners said yesterday that Wedge will manage the final three games of the season against Oakland.

Wedge managed Cleveland from 2003-09 and was hired by Seattle in October 2010.

He complained this week that he felt he was left “hanging out there” by the organization on his status for 2014.

Wedge suffered a mild stroke in July and missed a month.

BASEBALL

Former Tigers outfielder Brown dies at 74

DETROIT – Gates Brown, an outfielder who played his entire 13-year major league career with the Detroit Tigers, has died at age 74. The team confirmed Brown’s death yesterday.

Brown, jailed for armed robbery in Ohio before starting his baseball career, played on Detroit’s 1968 team that won the World Series, and was part of another title with the Tigers in 1984 as a batting coach.

Brown never played more than 125 games in a season, but he made a nice contribution during the title year of ’68, when he hit .370 in 67 games. He ended up playing 1,051 games in his career, finishing with a .257 average and 84 home runs.

GOLF

Woods voted PGA player of the year

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods was voted PGA Tour player of the year for the 11th time.

The PGA Tour announced the results of player voting yesterday. It doesn’t release the percentage of votes or who finished second. Woods was on the Jack Nicklaus Award ballot with British Open champion Phil Mickelson, Masters champion Adam Scott, FedEx Cup champion Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar.

Jordan Spieth won rookie of the year after starting the season with no status and finishing 10th on the PGA Tour money list.

Woods won five times this year – no one else won more than twice. It’s the third time he has won the award without having won a major. Since the award began in 1990, no one else has won it more than twice.

MOTORSPORTS

Izod ending title sponsorship of IndyCar

INDIANAPOLIS – Izod will end its deal as title sponsor of the IndyCar Series at the end of the season.

Izod signed on as the official apparel provider of IndyCar in 2008 and increased its involvement to series entitlement holder in 2010.

Izod said in a statement yesterday the company is shifting its product focus and must adjust its marketing spend as well.

Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles said as IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway combine their commercial functions, they will be better positioned to aggressively pursue new partners.